During image processing and manipulations, problems with processed images, which are referred to as pathologies, arise. In most cases, it is up to the user to avoid pathologies by visual feedback and interactively moving a control to adjust the amount of processing tolerated by a particular image. The control settings are generally a compromise between increasing the desirable results and keeping the pathologies acceptably low.
Some examples of image pathologies are as follows. A typical “sharpen” filter causes halo and outlining effect, and may further enhance jpeg artifacts, particularly in relatively uniform areas such as sky. Further, burn out and color shift are often caused by brightness adjustment. Posterization and localized color shifts are caused by excessive processing. Textured objects are “flattened” by low local contrast in part of the transform.